Death Defying Acts
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Metascore
48 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 4 Ratings

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  • Starring: Catherine Zeta Jones, Guy Pearce, Timothy Spall
  • Summary: It is 1926, and Harry Houdini is the most famous performer in the world. Audiences flock to watch him perform his amazing stunts. But the man behind the legend is a tortured soul, having been unable to hear his mother’s dying words. He offers a $10,000 reward to anyone who can contact his momother from beyond the grave. When a beautiful but deceptive psychic, Mary McGregor, and her sidekick daughter, Benji, take the challenge, Harry is initially skeptical, but is soon captivated by her charms. The more time he spends with the mysterious woman, the more attracted he is, and what began as a con soon evolves into a passionate and complicated love affair, as Houdini attempts the most dangerous stunt of his career. (Myriad Pictures)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 8
  3. Negative: 2 out of 8
  1. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Scott Foundas
    80
    This won't be remembered as one of the prodigiously talented Armstrong's great films (My Brilliant Career, High Tide, Little Women), but it's still 90 percent better than everything else out there.
  2. Slate
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    60
    A minor but satisfying entry in the "what if" historical-fantasy genre.
  3. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Ray Bennett
    50
    What it lacks is a villain, and magic without danger is simply a parlor trick, which is what the film becomes.
  4. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    38
    The ingredients are there for a cute con game, but instead the movie turns out to be a mushy melodrama.

See all 8 Critic Reviews

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